Who is really giving a megaphone to “deplorables”?

Throughout the last several decades, white supremacist groups have been in their rightful place – the margins of society and the butt of several jokes. The most attention that the KKK could hope for was a slot on the Jerry Springer show, somewhere between the lesbian cousin lovers and the “kung fu hillbilly”. In the late 1910s to early 1920s, however, the Klan enjoyed a brief period of being part of the American mainstream. The Klan of today sometimes tries to make itself palatable to the American mainstream, and desperately seeks attention, but they can’t achieve this if nobody even bothers to notice them.

The “Deplorables”

According to Hillary Clinton, “there’s always been a paranoid fringe in our politics, steeped in racial resentment. But it’s never had the nominee of a major party stoking it, encouraging it, and giving it a national megaphone. Until now.”

Frequently we hear stories of some Klansman, or former Klansman, who decided to support Donald Trump. White supremacists in this country are very anti-immigration, and Trump’s desire to build a wall and deport 11 million illegals certainly appeals to them. But one need not be a white supremacist to support enforcing immigration laws. And these white supremacists would likely disagree withTrump’s support for LEGAL immigration.

There’s plenty of reasons that radicals, and “deplorables” might support Clinton or Trump, but acknowledging these groups only gives them a megaphone. No such megaphone has been given by the Trump campaign to theUSA Communist Party, which has endorsed Hillary Clinton, nor should there be.

Who is really granting them a megaphone?

Remember David Duke? Most Americans, especially young Americans, probably didn’t even know the name until it came out that Duke was endorsing Trump. Those who did know the name were probably more than happy to let him fall into anachronistic obscurity right along with the KKK of which he was once a member. But David Duke cleverly breathed new life into his infamy by giving the mainstream media the opportunity to tarnish Trump’s campaign by drawing attention to David Duke’s half-hearted endorsement. Trump made the mistake of individually disavowing him, thereby giving him the attention he sought. Fortunately, Trump has been careful not to repeat that mistake.

In truth, Clinton and her supporters do more to help groups like the KKK, or the less extreme white nationalist “alt-right” movement by constantly denouncing them and Trump for having their tacit support. There are plenty of Klansman nobodies, trying to become somebody by saying, “Hey, I’m wearing a white sheet with a swastika on my arm and I’m voting for Trump”. Every now and then, someone from the Klan will get clever and endorse Clinton instead. Oooopsss! Didn’t see that one coming!

If Trump goes through each of his deplorable endorsements, calling them out by name and disavowing them individually, all he will accomplish is recognizing that these people are even worth noticing. Trump has collectively disavowed all white supremacists, and that’s all he should do. Anything more just gives them the attention they crave, which it seems Hillary Clinton and her supporters are happy to do.